Health Physics Expert Witnesses

Everything we encounter in our daily lives contains some radioactive material, some naturally occurring and some man-made: the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the ground we walk upon, and the consumer products we purchase and use. Although many might be familiar with the use of radiation to diagnose disease and treat cancer, some people, when they hear the terms “radioactive” and “radiation,” might recall images of mushroom clouds or monster mutants that inhabit the world of science fiction movies and comic books. Unfortunately, those false images can cause inordinate fear that is not justified regarding low levels of radioactive material. Many consumer items containing naturally occurring radioactivity can be safely used. This fact sheet describes a few of the more commonly encountered and familiar consumer products. Included are the items that can contain sufficient radioactive material to be distinguished from the general environ-mental background radiation with a simple handheld radiation survey meter.